Taipei 101 damper records biggest ever movement due to earthquake

Taipei, April 18 (CNA) The tuned mass damper at Taipei 101 skyscraper recorded its biggest ever movement due to an earthquake on Thursday, the management of the building said.

At 1:01 p.m., the damper -- a device that reduces the amplitude of mechanical vibrations -- moved by 20 centimeters, the biggest movement ever recorded in the building during a temblor.

A magnitude 6.1 earthquake struck Taiwan at that time, leaving at least 17 people injured nationwide, tilting two buildings on their foundations in Taipei and causing the temporary suspension of MRT services.

The quake was centered in Hualien County in eastern Taiwan, where it registered an intensity of 7, the highest level on Taiwan's intensity scale. The intensity recorded in New Taipei was 5, and in Taipei 4.

According to the Taipei 101, the last time the damper saw any major movement due to a temblor was in 2015, when it moved 15 centimeters as a result of a magnitude 6.3 earthquake with its epicenter offshore from Hualien County.

The Taipei 101 damper weighs 660 metric tons and reduces up to 40 percent of the building's movement.